New rule changes for 2019 World RX Championship

It’s just one day until the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship gets underway at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The 2019 season of the FIA World RX Championship will see a new champion and visit two new circuits.

The first of these new circuits on the calendar is the first round in Abu Dhabi. The track will consist of 63 percent tarmac and 37 percent gravel as well as featuring a jump. For the first time at the Yas Marina Circuit, there will be a night race, with the semi-finals and finals being run under the floodlights.

The second of the new circuits will be host to the third round on the calendar with the championship taking its first visit to Spa which will feature the iconic Eau Rouge and Raidillon.

There are also a number of changes to regulations for the 2019 season. The most significant of these will be the running of the qualifying formats. Q1 will remain the same random draw as previously run whilst Q4 will also have no change. However, for Q2 and Q3 the race order can be reversed by a random draw. This could mean that the fastest cars go out first rather than last. This draw will take place after the last race of Q1 and Q2.

Another introduction being made this year is that there will now be a Drivers Assistant to the Stewards. Over the 10 rounds of the season there will be a number of experienced rallycross drivers who take up this role, with the first being Tommy Rustad, the 2015 FIA European Rallycross Champion.

The World RX cars will now be using Race Nets as a change in the technical regulations. Race Nets are triangular nets that pass each side of the driver and are connected to the dash board. This increases the driver’s protection by offering better restriction of the movement of limbs in the event of a crash.